Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of denigrating the office of Governors by using them as karyakartas (workers) in non-BJP ruled States, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said it amounted to an assault on democracy.
Mr. Kharge’s made the comment in a tweet, days after the Tamil Nadu Assembly witnessed dramatic scenes, with Governor R.N. Ravi walking out of the Assembly even before the national anthem was played out.
The face-off happened on Monday after the Governor skipped portions of the address that was prepared and approved by the State Cabinet, including references to Dravidian stalwarts like late E.V. Ramasamy ‘Periyar’, C.N. Annadurai and the Dravidian model of governance.
In the presence of the Governor, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin moved a resolution to expunge the deviations made by Mr. Ravi and only take the prepared speech for the records of the State Assembly. This prompted the Governor to walk out even before the national anthem was played.
“BJP’s deliberate design to denigrate the Constitutional office of Governors by using them as ‘karyakartas’, in States ruled by opposition is an assault on Democracy. Brazen overstepping of the Constitution by few Governors recently, has sullied Federal structure of our polity,” Mr. Kharge said in a tweet.
His tweet, however, did not have any reference to the Tamil Nadu episode.
“Governors have to function within framework of Constitution and cannot insult the Legislature of which they are a part of. But they are being manipulated by their Delhi masters to create social & political unrest in States ruled by parties other than BJP which is dangerous,” the Congress president added.
